A Pawn's Perspective

Triple Triad on Mobile

I’ve been a fan of Triple Triad ever since I first played it in Final Fantasy 8. I even bought some physical cards back in the day, though I have no idea whatever happened to them. I hit a bit of nostalgia for the game when I wrote about Card Master over on Purple Pawn the other day. Card Master is basically just Triple Triad with a different theme. I need it. Let’s move on.

Anyway, not having access to a copy of Final Fantasy 8 anymore, I did a search to see what my options were. Lo and behold I come to find out there’s a new version of Triple Triad for mobile phones bundled in Square-Enix’s (mostly ad filled) app, Final Fantasy Portal. The gameplay is the same with some added rule variations. Also, cards now span across every Final Fantasy title, not just characters and monsters from 8. It’s just as much fun as I remember, with the exception that you only get 5 plays until your crystal meter refreshes.

Yup. It’s Freemium. You can play all you like if you’re willing to wait for you crystal meter to recharge, or you can buy more crystals if you’re impatient. It’s a crappy model that anyone who plays games on a mobile device is familiar with. It’s a shame, really. I’d pay for a stand alone, full Triple Triad game. As it stands, I’ll take what I can get. Even if it is wrapped in an app that’s mainly geared towards advertisements and my play is limited to a few rounds at a time.

If you’d like to see me play a few battles, check out my recordings of two different streaming tests below. I’ve finally figured out how to stream off my phone, though the first time I didn’t think and streamed in portrait mode. The first test was streaming to YouTube live, while the second was streaming to Twitch.

Media personality Rob Kalajian has been a staple in the board game world for many years. As a former writer for Purple Pawn and the owner of A Pawn’s Perspective, Rob focuses on board game reviews, events, and news. A self-proclaimed geek, Rob loves all things toys and games and even helps raise his four kids in his spare time.